Build 1st FJ40, '76 - SMOKEY - Puttin’ her Back Together

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Finally got the tranny together. Gotta put on the bearing retainers, then join it to the transfer case.



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Congrats. A lot of mudders have benefited from this thread. Are you going to get into the engine now?
 
You need to be talking to Beno--friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and forthright.
Vae Victus said:
Had my first intact with CruiserDan, Toyota parts dealer. Not sure if I caught him on a bad day, but found him to be less friendly and helpful than I expected. It was Friday late so perhaps he was crispy, but I was hoping for more direction on the weather stripping and brake booster. He did find me a new water pump for about $136 (discounted for Mud, thank you CDan), but still pricey., where the local Toyota parts guy said "discontinued."

For the weather stripping, he said "Complete kit is about $1900." Long pause. "Er, ah, ok...." I say. I guess he's had the conversation so many times, and so many people say "too expensive" that he just cuts to the chase. I figured he'd give me some suggestions on how to solve the need less expensively. Nope, nothing. Similar discussion around booster. It was like pulling teeth.

It is nice to have an active thread member who helps us find parts that Toyota still has, but I was hoping for a little more definitive solutions where he knows Toyota is not the answer. I guess I expect successful "service industry" folks to be more ... Engaging, friendly, helpful - not sure what word I'm looking for. Oh well, it was a 5 minute conversation so I'm judging too quickly.

Thanks CDan for the discount.
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sggoat said:
You need to be talking to Beno--friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and forthright.
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Agree and done. Actually followed him closely when he moved from the west to my neighborhood here in the south. He and I are working on a FJ40 Weatherstripping list so that as alternatives are found to OEM or when OEM stops being made, we know what to buy, or more importantly, what not.
 
vtgbeemer said:
Congrats. A lot of mudders have benefited from this thread. Are you going to get into the engine now?
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Thanks Craig. I wish you had documented your journey. Your truck is a hidden jewel. Perhaps you will put up a summary thread with tons of your pics thru the process.

Engine - yes, and knuckles and diffs at the same time. I really not sure about who, what, or where to go for the engine. Gonna need some help on that one.
 
Might want to let one of the Cruiser engine builders do that one - mess it up and a whole lot of very expensive parts die horribly . If you want to see frozen , come up here to North Central Illinois - the snap weather changes here are popping pavement loose in huge chunks and heaving expansion joints pretty good . Good news for me this summer - I fix that stuff , lol .
Sarge
 
Weber Sarge said:
Might want to let one of the Cruiser engine builders do that one - mess it up and a whole lot of very expensive parts die horribly . If you want to see frozen , come up here to North Central Illinois - the snap weather changes here are popping pavement loose in huge chunks and heaving expansion joints pretty good . Good news for me this summer - I fix that stuff , lol . Sarge
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Sarge, I'm surprised at you. This is all part of the journey for me. Don't you see that by now? By the 3rd engine I'll be smart enough to let someone else do it.

I saw your water jacket fab - nice stuff.
 
I just a lot of pain and expense coming with these engines , parts are far too sparse to play with and small mistakes cost a lot of cash . Been there , done that several times myself . There are Cruiser guys that can build these engines to a very high level of both reliability as well as power , probably much cheaper in the long run to boot ....
I do prefer to build my own but also have around 35+yrs of experience .
You can rebuild it if you get a manual and a local machinist that will follow specs to the letter without argument .
Sarge
 
Haven't been into one of these 2F's in a lot of years , basically same as any inline 6 gasser . I'd at least pull the head and inspect the valvetrain , valves , combustion chambers , water jackets , cylinders and piston tops . That will determine where you go from there . First real place to start is a check of hot running oil pressure both at idle and highway revs as well as a compression test . That alone will tell quite a lot .
Sarge
 
I remember some very good compression readings. Based on those you might consider replacing gaskets and seals (including the valve stem seals) . In doing that you would be dropping the pan and removing the valve cover. You can tell a lot about an engine without becoming too agressive. You can also flush the cooling pretty well. I guess I am suggesting "easing" into the engine letting it show you what it really needs.
 
Weber Sarge said:
Haven't been into one of these 2F's in a lot of years , basically same as any inline 6 gasser . I'd at least pull the head and inspect the valvetrain , valves , combustion chambers , water jackets , cylinders and piston tops . That will determine where you go from there . First real place to start is a check of hot running oil pressure both at idle and highway revs as well as a compression test . That alone will tell quite a lot .
Sarge
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vtgbeemer said:
I remember some very good compression readings. Based on those you might consider replacing gaskets and seals (including the valve stem seals) . In doing that you would be dropping the pan and removing the valve cover. You can tell a lot about an engine without becoming too agressive. You can also flush the cooling pretty well. I guess I am suggesting "easing" into the engine letting it show you what it really needs.
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Yes, had good compression numbers a few months back with VtgBeemer's nice compression gauge.

Easing into the engine = good advice. Will follow this.

But, tomorrow must support the Auburn Tigers in their quest to beat the Seminoles in the Last BCS Championship football game.

... from Pasadena

VV
 
Vae Victus said:
I know at some point I'll need some hands to help align something.

Where'd you live?
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I think the address is 5250. Ranch up on the hill. West side of the street.
 
Spent time with Rainman today working on his client's truck. Looking great.

Enjoyed meeting John6275 - he's just starting on his journey, but his truck's been in the family for 20 years.

Worked a bit finally on the tranny. Been a couple weeks since I had time. Details in the H42 Transmission thread.
 
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Thanks VV. Wish we could've spent more time Saturday but even though we left a few issues undone, we got a good amount done all things considered. I was able to use the help of my son-in-law yesterday and assembled the top. Looks great. It's not where I can get a single decent shot of it though. Just let me know when I can come help out on yours.
 
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